Written by Catherine Werner, Director of Development

I’ve just completed my first trip to Bolivia, and I feel at peace.

As part of our multi-specialty mission trip, we had one day in Santa Cruz together before we traveled to Cliza for our mission week. We walked around the Gúembé Biocenter, home to the world’s largest butterfly sanctuary, amidst other local flora and fauna. I felt blessed to witness the beauty of a place that is filled with brightly colored toucans and smells of delicate jasmine. (My teammate Catherine Flannigan has beautifully described our immersion into Bolivian nature).

But the beauty of Bolivia doesn’t only come from the grand mountains and the luscious forests. It comes from the hearts of the people who live here, day in and day out, offering support to one another.

Solidarity Bridge is part of a unique ecosystem of care in Bolivia. Our sister organization, Puente de Solidaridad, establishes formal partnerships with local hospitals who identify patients with significant medical needs and few financial resources. We help provide needed medical supplies, as well as hands-on training for local physicians and direct care through our year-round programs and on missions such as the multi-specialty trip that I joined earlier this month.

“Solidarity is at the core of our mission, and health care is our method of spreading this message.”

We often use the phrase somos uno when talking about the relationship between our two organizations. “We are one.” We each have a part to play, as we have each been given different gifts to share for the betterment of our world (I Corinthians 12). But just as an orchestra has many instruments playing together to create one song, we come together as one in solidarity to serve our patients and increase their access to health care.

Solidarity Bridge and Puente de Solidaridad are two sides of the same coin, both promoting solidarity as central to who we are and why we do what we do. Alfonso Flores, staff member of Puente de Solidaridad shares, “Solidarity is at the core of our mission, and health care is our method of spreading this message.”

I see this ripple effect of solidarity when I meet with Juana, who received a spinal surgery through our program in June. She shares that she could barely move or pick up a broom before the surgery. Now, three months later, she is walking around her sister’s house with a cheerful spirit, eager to continue working to support her family. She advocates for her nephew, a bright university student, who currently has 50% hearing loss. Can we do anything to help him? Marizol, a social worker with Puente de Solidaridad, will search her networks to find medical connections. Juana’s desire to connect others to our work flows from her gratitude for the care she has received. Our community of solidarity continues to grow.

Somos uno. We are one with our patients. We are walking alongside them, physically and in prayer, advocating for the highest quality health care. This is part of who we are. This is living in solidarity.

Over the past two weeks I have shared meals with Puente de Solidaridad staff and their families. I have sat in the living rooms of patients with tears streaming down their face in gratitude for the medical care their loved ones received. I have seen the deep green leaves of Bolivian trees, and I have driven by countless barren rivers, completely dry from the prolonged drought. I have heard the cry of newborn babies in the hospital, and I have sat with women who share their despair over cancer diagnoses. Together with colleagues, missioners, hospital staff, and patients, we have stepped into solidarity with one another. We grieve with each other. We hope with one another. We choose to do life together. I feel extremely blessed and humbled to be part of the Solidarity Bridge/Puente de Solidaridad community.

Thank you for being one with us, and for journeying with us as we enter our 25th year of service. I am filled with excitement and hope for the coming years of serving together.

Somos Uno